Good Example Of The Scarlet Letter Research Paper

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, is one of the most famous literary works in the history of English literature. The novel stirs the mind of the avid readers, and goes on to document the time in history when the work was penned by the author. The elements of history resonate throughout the novel. The literary elements work together in unison to portray the culture and milieu of the times. The author uses quintessential literary genius to bring out the true essence of the society and time in which the story unfolds.
The novel treads en route transcendentalism that was an active philosophical and religious movement of the early nineteenth century. This movement was rooted in the belief that divinity goes on to manifest itself omnisciently, especially in the realm of nature. Transcendentalism went on to advocate a direct and personalized relationship with the divine instead of structured and formalized religion. The novel in context by the author goes on to propagate this very idea in the course of the story. He uses his dramatic flair and universality to being out the idea with its best essence.
The novel in context goes on to portray several Biblical allusions. “Hawthorne writes in an Augustan idiom, with long and sinuously balanced sentences peppered with commas. He sets his scene slowly.” (Wineapple) In the very first chapter of the novel, the readers get to know about a number of men and women who stand before this “wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.” (Hawthorne) The readers soon come to know that these people take it to be their necessity to “allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as a prison.” (Hawthorne)
Further, the author goes on to portray the Puritans from a Romantic perspective. They are shown as dour patriarchs who wear ruffs and lack any feeling of compassion. The author delves deep into the scrutiny of the foundation myths of the nation of America. Thus, he creates characters and symbols like the scarlet letter, the minister’s black veil, the birth mark, and the Great Stone Face, that work in unison to create the perfect mirror of the culture of the time.
The novel portrays the time when the holy church was the focus of people’s lives in many towns. “Nathaniel Hawthorne self-consciously alludes to public beheadings, especially the regicidal revolutions in seventeenth-century England and eighteenth-century France.” (Thomas) These holy places did not only provide religious guidance, but also acted at important places of social gathering. Thus, the church became a powerful force in every local government. The church had the power to influence the courts so that they would impose penalties on the crimes that were committed against the Ten Commandments.
A crime like adultery was a serious violation of the Ten Commandments, and hence any person proved to be adulterous could be subjected to severe civil penalties. One can very well comprehend the fact that the punishment that was received by Hester in this novel was totally rooted in the Puritan social, religious, and governmental beliefs. Thus, the author portrayed the historical background of the time in this novel with utmost perfection and literary quintessence.
The scarlet letter works of the experiences and character of Hester. The sin committed by her previously made her who she was. Hester goes on to integrate her sin into life. The character of Dimmesdale also goes on to struggle against the odds of having an identity that is socially determined. Being the minister of the community, he becomes more symbolic to all than being a human being. It is only Chillingworth who understands his anguish, while others see it as his piety.
Apart from the characters portrayed in the novel, the town and the surrounding forest stand for opposing behavioral systems. “The face of society, with its manifold features, never comes before you, as you study the extraordinary experience of his men and women, except as a necessary setting for the picture.” (Loring) While the town is representative of the civilization that is bound by rules, the forest is the milieu of the natural things. Thus, the setting also represents the time when the novel was penned by the author. Other literary tactics used by the author is the motif of daylight and night. While the daylight goes on to expose the individual’s activities making the person vulnerable to retribution in the form of punishment, the night hides the actions. While the scarlet letter ought to be a symbol of shame, it transforms into a symbol of identity to Hester. While Pearl is quite a complex character, the primary function of the character is to be a symbol. She can be seen as a living version of the scarlet letter, being the physical consequence of the sin of her mother and an indicator of transgression. Thus, the novel portrays the perspective of the people of the society at that time.
The literary elements come together to bring out the effect perfectly. Thus, the author not only creates a quintessential literary work, but he also goes on to document the history and society of the time. Thus, the history of the time is reflected very well in this work. The difference with the present day novels lie in its detailed portraiture, and literary timelessness.

Works Cited

Loring, George B. “Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter'” Massachusetts Quarterly Review 3.12 (Sept.
1850): 484-500. Web. 7 April 2015.
Thomas, Brook. “Citizen Hester: The Scarlet Letter as Civic Myth.” American Literary History
13.2 (2001): 181-211. Web. 7 April 2015.
Wineapple, Brenda. “The Scarlet Letter and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s America.” In The Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American History. Gilderlehrman.org, n.d. Web. 7 April 2015.